In the Midi-Pyrenees, the largest collection of great Cathar relics is to be found in the department of the Ariège but the real enthusiast can further his travels to the Aude gorges and the Corbières area to follow the line of fortified Cathar citadels. 
           

Many larger and smaller towns in the Midi-Pyrenees witnessed the tragedy of the crusades against the heresy of the Cathars. Some were born of such upheavals, others still harbour the relics of the times of the Cathars. Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Castres, Mazamet, Lavaur and Hautpoul have preserved its memory.

Toulouse, the powerful capital of the Langue d’oc still houses the sarcophagi of the Counts of Toulouse, the protectors of the Cathars, within its "Saint-Sernin" basilica.

 In Ariège, the château of Foix withstood the assaults of Simon de Montfort. This superb building dating back to Medieval times now houses the folklore and history museum of the Ariège.

 An essential stage in any pilgrimage retracing the steps of the Cathars is the château of Montségur, which fascinates the cohorts of hikers who now mount an attack on its "pog" or peak at an altitude of 3,960 feet. Although Montségur was one of the heretic's main spiritual centres, it was above all the final refuge of the persecuted Cathars. The remaining two hundred heretics were burned to death at the foot of the château, an area since known as the "Prat das Crémats" (the meadow of the burned).

 Within the château's surrounding walls, the remains of the great hall, once used for meetings, can still be seen, as well as the ruins of the dungeon and the outbuildings. The village of Montségur houses a museum in which many objects and documents relating to the château are to be found.